Tourist Killed by Falling Debris While Visiting Italian Church

MILAN – A 52-year-old tourist from Spain was killed on Thursday by a piece a falling masonry in one of Florence’s most famous churches. The tourist and his wife were visiting the Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the Renaissance city’s top tourist attractions, where such Italian luminaries as Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei and Niccolo Machiavelli are buried. He was struck in the head by a decorative element that dropped from a height of 66 feet in one of the church’s aisles.

According to media reports the stone fragment was about six inches by six inches and gave support to a beam. Authorities were checking the stability of the gothic-era church, which was expected to remain closed to visitors through Friday. Neither the Culture Ministry in Rome, officials at the church or police were immediately available to provide additional details or comments.